Following in the footsteps of legends like Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn, Lambert sticks up for girl power whenever she has the chance and plans to hold the door open for the next generation of country females, as well.

Some wonder what country music might look like today without her, but luckily, Lambert was so determined to make her mark, we never had to find out.

“I don’t know where I’d be or what I’d be doing if I wasn’t doing this because it’s the only thing I can do,” she tells CMT. “I’ve been playing music for a living for 12 years, and things are not stopping now.

“When I was 17, I knew that this was what I wanted to do, what I needed to do,” Lambert explained. “It’s the only thing in my life that’s ever come naturally to me. Everything else I have to work really hard for. You know, sports and academics and all of that stuff just wasn’t easy. And music is the only thing that comes easy — like it’s what I was meant to do.”

Her parents have always been supportive of her, and she says there are many songs that serve as a tribute to them.

Lambert has always thought of songwriting as a gift, and it’s something she makes time for despite a hectic schedule.

“Writing is more of a challenge now than it was when I was younger just because I’m busy with life and I have a store and bed-and-breakfast,” she admits. “So I have to push some of that out of my mind and go, ‘OK, it’s time to just be creative.’”